One of the most annoying things about identify politics is that it often puts up artificial barriers to what can be common ground. In this case, I’m talking about a story from the Florida Jewish Journal headlined “After Alex Pretti killing in Minneapolis, Jewish gun owners confront Second Amendment tensions.”
In actuality, what the paper’s reporting describes is simply a microcosm of the debate and discussion among gun owners in general in the wake of Alex Pretti’s death at the hands of Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis.
Roberta Tarnove, a 65-year-old Jewish gun owners who decided to exercise her right to keep and bear arms because she heard “dog whistles” of anti-Semitism during President Trump’s campaign, says she’s horrified by Pretti’s death.
Bruce Cohen, described by the paper as “a lifelong Jewish gun owner in Arizona who hosts the Facebook group Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership,” on the other hand, believes Pretti’s actions may have led to the shooting.
“I don’t know if I can fault the law enforcement officer,” Cohen said. “As a libertarian, I want very, very strict limits on police powers, I do not want police to abuse or mistreat or mislead citizens or non-citizens, for that matter, but I can see how that could happen, and if that person was more careful and more friendly and exercised his freedom of speech and right to protest in a more appropriate manner then he could be protesting today.”
I’ve seen similar debate play out among gun owners of all races, colors, and creeds. I’d say support for the Border Patrol agents has overwhelmingly been found on the conservative side of the political aisle, but there are plenty of independent, libertarian, and even conservative gun owners who believe that Pretti’s shooting wasn’t justified.
“The reaction from the overruling gun community — and apparently the government — is, well, if you bring a gun to protest, you’re going to get shot,” Tarnove said. “So it’s Second Amendment for me, but not for thee, which is one of the things about the gun culture I really hate.”
I suggest that Tarnove broaden her perspective if she’s honestly found that to be the case. Virtually every major Second Amendment organization has come out in support of the right to carry a firearm at protests, and the vast majority of Second Amendment advocates have as well (including myself).
For Tarnove, the federal government’s rhetoric around Pretti’s gun ownership had raised alarm bells for potential restrictions against gun ownership for certain groups.
“We aren’t past the point of no return, but we are getting so darn close, and I wish that more Jews would recognize that,” said Tarnove. “When the government can go after one group of people, then they can go after any group of people, and you’re not safe.”
I’ve seen no evidence that the Trump administration is targeting lefty gun owners for exercising their 2A rights, but if that’s what she’s concerned about then I’d encourage Tarnove to actually join one or more of the Second Amendment organizations that have taken a principled stand in support of the right of “the people” to keep and bear arms; not some of the people or those we agree with, but WE the people.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to lie about gun owners and the Second Amendment.
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